Key Facts
- ✓ Corviont is a self-hosted offline maps appliance for edge/on-prem devices.
- ✓ The stack includes vector tiles (PMTiles), routing (Valhalla), and offline geocoding (SQLite Nominatim-based index).
- ✓ It runs fully offline after the initial image and data pulls.
- ✓ A hosted demo is available at demo.corviont.com.
- ✓ A signed on-device updater for regional datasets is planned for the future.
Quick Summary
Corviont has been unveiled as a self-hosted offline maps appliance tailored for edge and on-premise devices. The solution bundles vector tiles, routing, and search capabilities into a single Docker Compose stack, allowing for complete offline operation after the initial data synchronization.
The stack relies on PMTiles for serving vector tiles locally and Valhalla for routing. For search functionality, it employs a SQLite Nominatim-based index to handle offline geocoding and reverse geocoding. A hosted demo is currently available for users to test the functionality without installation.
The developer is actively soliciting feedback regarding specific use cases and constraints. This includes hardware limitations, fleet sizes, update windows, and specific regional requirements. A potential future feature involves a signed on-device updater for regional datasets, ensuring atomic swaps and verification.
Introducing Corviont: The Offline Maps Appliance
Corviont addresses the need for reliable mapping services in environments with limited or no internet connectivity. By packaging essential mapping components into a single appliance, it allows organizations to maintain full autonomy over their location data. The system is designed to run on local hardware, ensuring that map rendering, route calculation, and address searching remain functional regardless of external network status.
The core architecture of Corviont is built around a Docker Compose stack. This approach simplifies deployment and ensures consistency across different hardware environments. Once the initial image and data pulls are complete, the appliance operates entirely offline. This means there are no external API calls for map tiles, routing instructions, or geocoding lookups, providing a secure and private mapping solution.
Key capabilities of the system include:
"I’m building Corviont, a self-hosted offline maps appliance (tiles + routing + search) for edge/on-prem devices."
— Developer
Technical Architecture and Components
The technical stack of Corviont is composed of several open-source technologies adapted for offline use. The vector tiles are handled by PMTiles, a format optimized for serving large sets of map data efficiently. This allows for fast rendering of maps directly from local storage without the latency associated with network requests.
For routing, the appliance utilizes Valhalla. Valhalla is a multimodal routing engine that supports walking, biking, and driving directions. By running this engine locally, users can calculate complex routes instantly without relying on third-party services.
The geocoding component is based on a SQLite Nominatim-based index. This allows for fast address lookups and reverse geocoding (converting coordinates to addresses) entirely offline. The user interface is built with MapLibre, an open-source library for rendering interactive maps, which is pre-configured to communicate with the local tile, routing, and search endpoints.
Deployment and Future Updates
Deployment is designed to be straightforward via a Docker Compose repository. Users can access a hosted demo at demo.corviont.com to evaluate the system without installing anything locally. For production environments, the repository provides the necessary configuration to spin up the entire stack on local servers or edge devices.
The developer has outlined a roadmap for future enhancements based on user feedback. A primary focus is on regional dataset management. If there is sufficient demand, a signed on-device updater is planned. This feature would allow users to verify, atomically swap, and reload regional map data, ensuring the appliance stays up to date with the latest geographic information.
Feedback is being sought on several critical aspects of deployment:
- Hardware Constraints: Limitations regarding CPU, RAM, and storage.
- Fleet Size: Requirements for managing multiple appliances.
- Update Windows: Preferred times for updating map data.
- Deployment Style: Specific edge or on-premise configurations.
"I’d love feedback: where offline maps/routing/search matters for you, and what constraints bite (hardware, fleet size, update windows, regions, deployment style)."
— Developer
